This class uses various pedagogical techniques of critical hip-hop theory (CHHT). As such, the theme of this course, while indicative of music culture, is centered on hip-hop culture as a phenomenon originating in the United States and its glocalization. Hip-hop is a relatively new phenomenon, bred within the United States during the latter quarter of the 20th century. Like other musical genres, hip-hop's influence spans beyond music. In its contemporary form, hip-hop aesthetics are recognizable in various elements, such as rapping/MCing, producing/DJing, dancing, art, fashion, and language. Since hip-hop and its culture is relatively new and burgeoning, this contemporary form has transformed from its inception, leading to an array of (sometimes unwarranted) critique and analysis.
Perhaps one of the most important elements of hip-hop is authenticity. In other words: what is hip-hop and what is not hip-hop. This debate has become a contested site of argument, particularly in the past three decades, as hip-hop music (especially rap music) has traversed various musical genres, sampling with and featuring various elements of pop, rock, electronica, and experimental. While sub-genres of hip-hop music have been recognized (e.g. conscious, horrorcore, mainstream, East Coast, turnt, trap), the Golden Age of hip-hop has continued to be considered the most "authentic" form of hip-hop, as the Golden Age spawned a culture of sub-genres.
Despite the internal critique by the hip-hop generation, hip-hop culture has transformed into a more encompassing culture, consistently produced and consumed by American society. Throughout public and private spheres, hip-hop cultural artifacts are recognizable: endorsement deals between rappers and manufacturers; commodification of black women's bodies; appropriation of racialized cultures; awards ceremonies dedicated to the best hip-hop acts; diasporic interpretations of music cultures. Hip-hop culture is, above all else, contagious. It is festering wound that the global finger continues to pick at. Hip-hop is infectious.
Because of the mass consumption of hip-hop culture, hip-hop serves as a fruitful phenomenon of investigation. So, if hip-hop can be defined as a music culture,then it is important to ask several questions about the genre:
1. What is/is not hip-hop?
2. Who/what produces hip-hop and how?
3. Who/what consumes hip-hop productions and in which way(s)?
4. Why is hip-hop a "culture," and how does hip-hop function as a larger cultural phenomena?
As such, by the end if this semester, the goal is to come to an answer to these questions. To do so, thinking critically about hip-hop culture requires acute attention to rhetoric. In other words, what do hip-hop music, dance, celebrity, and fashion aesthetics represent, and why are these distinct features rapidly progressing in US music industries?
Further reading:
What Is Hip Hop Culture?
Examining Hip-Hop Culture
The Social Significance of Rap & Hip Hop Culture
Decoding Hip-Hop's Cultural Impact